The present invention relates to the non-reciprocal devices required reliable and uniform grounding in close proximity to their hot leads. More specifically, the present invention relates to the high frequency and relatively high power drop-in circulators/isolators which are mounted on a carrier while hot leads make contact with pcboard.
Conventional devices of that kind are usually secured to a carrier for heat transfer and grounding while hot leads make contact with the pcboard. On top of that they need at least two additional leads for port grounding on sides of and in close proximity to every hot lead. With thickness of leads so small as 0.003-0.010″ and distance between leads of 0.020-0.050″, the device installation while leads to be soldered to the pcboard traces is a tedious and time consuming work. Conventional circulator, for example, on top of three hot leads needs six grounding leads to be soldered to the pcboard. Also, every solder seam is different in terms of shape, dense and electrical characteristics. In high frequency systems even slight difference in uniformity on their ports can degrade a performance. So, the more solder seams needs to be done, the more degraded performance can be.
Typical structure of a conventional device having grounding leads on sides of hot leads is represented by U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,897.
Accordingly, what is needed is a minimum solder seams without sacrificing grounding on ports in close proximity to the hot leads with keeping heat transfer properties of the device.